Some Thoughts On The Olympic Performance of Joe Kovacs From a 12 Foot Shot Putter.

 

Physics rules everything. But there are ways of using it to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Joe Kovacs understands and uses this to his advantage better than anyone on the Athletics World stage.

 

Joe was given great genetic attributes at birth, but among elite shot-putters, he is on the short side.  This immediately puts him at a disadvantage to taller and longer-armed competitors.  Of course, being tall with long arms doesn't guarantee you anything, but with other things being equal, it gives a distinct advantage.

In order to use that advantage, tall competitors need to perfect their technique and attain the best strength to handle the lever-arm bonus.  Ryan Crouser has done this.  His technique has become better and better and he is stronger than he has ever been.  Game over, World Record!

But Joe is remarkable for being consistently right there each and every time he competes in the big meets.  He is the beast, and his technique is practically perfection.  We have also seen that he is the strongest among these beasts.  Up and coming shot putters need to study Joe's regimen to become the best they can be.

Congrats, Joe.  That was marvelous to watch.

 

1		USA CROUSER Ryan		23.30	OR
Attempts Result Best Rank 1 22.83 23.30 1 2 22.93 3 22.86 4 22.74 5 22.54 6 23.30
2		USA KOVACS Joe		22.65
Attempts Result Best Rank 1 22.19 22.65 2 2 20.95 3 21.95 4 22.65 5 22.29 6 22.60